physiognomy

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English phisonomie, from Anglo-Norman phisenomie, Middle French phisonomie and others, ultimately from Late Latin physiognomia, from Ancient Greek φυσιογνωμία (phusiognōmía, "physiology"), from φύσις (phúsis, "physique, appearance") plus γνώμη (gnṓmē, "means of knowing"). Middle English phisonomie would regularly have developed into *physnomy /ˈfɪznəmi/ (a pattern seen in other Early Modern English forms, such as fisnomie in All's Well that Ends Well); today's spelling and pronunciation instead reflect learned influence.